An Offering of Sorts

I bought a Chronological Bible at the beginning of the year with the hopes that I would read the allotted passage every day (a New Year's resolution). I have to admit that I got quite a bit ahead at the beginning, slowed down around Leviticus and picked it back up after that. I am currently on the correct day of the year in the Bible as I am in real life and am VERY excited to be starting the New Testament.

As I wrapped up the OT, my husband asked me what I learned from it. In a short summary, it was a constant game of chase for God. The Israelites would betray Him time and again and every single time He would pour out His love on them. He provided food, water, a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to guide them. He repeatedly defeated their enemies and how did they return His affections? By creating idols and worshiping other gods. Over and over and over again. So frustrating! At the end of the OT, God points out (I'm paraphrasing) that he brought them out of slavery, defeated their enemies, guided them day and night and fed them to be offered what? Deformed animals as sacrifices. They brought blind, crippled and deformed animals as offerings to God. They kept the best animals for themselves and gave God the scraps. What they offered wasn't all they had; what they offered was trash.

It got me to thinking...what am I offering God? Do I offer Him my best? Am I giving Him my leftover, unwanted scraps? Sometimes I think "yes". Some days I give Him the minimum. He has given me everything: love, a husband, good health, a home, a job, animals, cars, immediate and extended family, food, water and life. I feel like I don't give Him near as much as He deserves. I'm tired of offering Him the minimum. I want to offer Him more.

I treat my time the same way some people treat money. I store time away so that I can have "me" time at the end of the day. I create a savings account of time that I keep to myself so I can spend it doing what I want to do. I don't want to waster any more time; I want to give God my best hours, not my tired, frustrated hours. I don't want to offer Him scraps anymore. I want to give whatever He asks of me. I want my offerings to please Him. I want to give Him the best I have. Even though He doesn't NEED anything I give Him, He does desire my heart to be submissive and honoring to Him. That's the thing, if what you're offering is all you have with a giving heart, then that's all He wants. It's not about the amount you give; it's about where your heart is when you give it. If you're submissively laying down all you have to honor God, then what you give is exactly what He wants.

God doesn't need my time for His own savings account; He wants my time because of the relationship we have. Our time together is refreshing and fulfilling. He wants to meet with me to fill me up, not to deplete me. When I'm willing to give up a little "me" time to spend it with Him instead, I get more out of it than He probably does. Even when I'm trying to give to Him, He's still giving more to me. His love is unrelenting and will always outdo any affections I try to return. He is forever chasing me, trying to give me life, love and joy. If I would take a second to turn around, I would be face-to-face with a Father who just wants to embrace me.

God's loving generosity will always outdo whatever you offer Him. Give all you have, not to see how what you get out of it, but to see where it takes your relationship with Him. You might be surprised at how much He adores you.

Ask God, what He wants from you. Ask what He wants you to lay down or give over to Him. Be obedient to what He says and watch your life change as you become closer to Him.